New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) walks off the field after the Giants' 34-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in East Rutherford.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com)

EAST RUTHERFORD — Saquon Barkley lost five games in his final two years at Penn State, where he was the face of one of college football's most storied programs.

He has lost five of his first six games with the New York Giants, who remain in the NFC East basement despite the emergence of Barkley's ability to this point to justify the hype surrounding his selection with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft six months ago.

When the Giants step inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night, Barkley will be counted on to continue what has been an historic pace to start his professional career.

He is just the second player in league history to begin his rookie season with six consecutive games of more than 100 total yards from scrimmage, and he can match the record set by Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt last year by accomplishing the feat for a seventh time with a national television audience watching.

Milestones aside, Barkley promises he would trade it all for more wins -- and as is the case with Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants can't get those wins without being as reliant on Barkley and Beckham as they are.

"Obviously, it sucks losing, and I think everyone in this locker room would say that. No one's happy where we are as a team, but we know we have to continue to fight our way out of it, continue to believe in each other and you never know how it'll turn out," Barkley told NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network New Jersey at his locker earlier this week.

"It's definitely a culture shock when you come in expecting to win and you don't right away, something I'm not used to, but you don't let that culture become a losing culture." Barkley added. "I don't think it's a losing culture in this locker room, the record may say that right now, but I think we still believe in each other and have faith in this team. I wasn't here last year. I wasn't a part of 3-13, but you ask about it. You make sure that stays in the past, and you stick together to get out of it. Right now it's about winning one game, and you don't know how a season can turn and what might happen unless you win that next game first."

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) jumps over an Eagles defender in the first half. The New York Giants face the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in East Rutherford. (Danielle Parhizkaran/@danielleparhiz)(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey)

In the quest for victories that would in theory turn this season around, the Giants (1-5) are desperate for those inside the locker room to lead on and off the field.

The surprising voice that has started to resonate, especially in the offensive trenches, belongs to the 21-year-old who refuses to let his age and experience define his presence on this team.

"There are a lot of guys who lead by example, and if Saquon didn't say one word, he'd still be a leader by the way he's playing," said Giants center John Greco, an 11-year NFL veteran. "He's the two-headed monster, though -- he's both the lead by example guy and the guy who can come over to rally guys, pick guys up. He's walking the walk and talking the talk, and that's extremely rare, especially with a guy this young."

Behind the scenes, the Giants rave about his demeanor and professionalism, the competitiveness that rivals any of the veterans in the room. It's on the field where those around the league have taken notice with Barkley's talent -- even with some of the football being as bad as it has been with the Giants -- owning the spotlight.

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: Saquon Barkley of Penn State poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being picked No. 2 overall by the New York Giants during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)(Photo: Tom Pennington, Getty Images)

Consider this scouting report from Falcons coach Dan Quinn, who not only compared Barkley to his two running backs (Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman), but the franchise's best player (Julio Jones).

"There are certain guys who have exceptional change of direction. In other words, they can start and stop, put their foot in the ground, break somebody off," Quinn said. "As a receiver, that can be option routes. As a running back, that can be the way a guy jump cuts. For us, that's kinda like Devonta Freeman. When he gets to a safety or a linebacker, he puts his foot in the ground to violently change direction.

"Then there's the other style of guys that have the gas to go really long and really fast, and when they get to an edge, they can go," Quinn added. "So, at running back for us, Tevin Coleman's that way. When we get him to the edge, we know he's got the speed to go long. And then, once in a while, there's a guy that has the combination of those. On our team, that's Julio, where he has change of direction, even though he's a taller and over 220-pound guy, but he can still change direction like he's a slot player. And I think, that's what I've seen [from Barkley]."

Barkley is on pace for 2,163 yards from scrimmage, which would give him a chance to break Eric Dickerson's single-season rookie record set in 1983 (2,212 yards).

He has rushed 84 times for 438 yards, a 5.2-yards per carry average, with four touchdowns. He's also the Giants' second-leading receiver with 40 catches for 373 yards and two more touchdowns.

"He's a combination of the guy who has home run speed, and has the ability to break you off with change of direction and spins," Quinn said. "To me, that's what makes him unique. He's a combination of those two things as a ball player and I think that's a pretty rare combination and probably why he's having the success that he is, it's because he has home run speed for explosive speed and change of direction to make the 2-yard run a 10-yard run, or the 5-yard catch a 15-yard catch."

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (26) walks onto the field after the Giants lose to the Cleveland Browns 20-10 in East Rutherford, NJ on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Danielle Parhizkaran/@danielleparhiz)(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey)

Barkley is going to be compared to what Sam Darnold might one day become for the Jets; and even if he plays well, the expectations are through the roof. His success will also be linked to that of Eli Manning, whether that's fair or not, with the suggestion that the Giants passed on a first-round QB for Barkley serving as a compelling backdrop, and not just for this season or next, but likely for a decade and beyond.

"The idea that Saquon Barkley was a mistake?" Giants coach Pat Shurmur quipped, repeating a reporter's question. "I don’t see the logic in that."

The Giants drafted in their eyes the best player in the Class of 2018, and to this point, Barkley has done nothing to disprove that theory.

"You’re not going to grow if you reflect on the bad things that happened in the past, so we definitely got to continue to put that in the past, continue to grow as a team and focus on the future, focus on the rest of the season and go game by game," Barkley said.